Feeder for flexible containers



Oct. 16, 1962 P. H. CARTER ETAL FEEDER FOR FLEXIBLE CONTAINERS- 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1960 El'l l INVENTORS PAUL H. CARTER FIG. 1.

RAYMOND L MORSE )W/VYLQ/L/ ATTORNEY Oct. 16, 1962 P. H. CARTER ET AL 3,058,617

FEEDER FOR FLEXIBLE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 10, 1960 FIG.7.

INVENTQRS PAUL H. CARTER RAYMOND L. MORSE JO w ATTORNEY Oct. 16, 1962 P. H. CARTER ETAL 3,058,617

FEEDER FOR FLEXIBLE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 10, 1960 IFIG.8.

FIG. 9.

INVENTORS PAUL H. CARTER RAYMOND 1.. MORSE i BY W); 2 I ATTORNEY United States Patent ()fiice 3,058,617 Patented Oct. 16, 1962 3,058,617 FEEDER FOR FLEXIBLE CONTAINERS Paul H. Carter and Raymond L. Morse, Baltimore, Md., assignors to Universal Machine Co., Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Aug. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 48,682 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-223) This invention relates to feeding devices and it is more particularly concerned with a mechanism for feeding containers, such as paper and plastic cups, tubs, etc., from a nested stack of such containers to a machine for filling them with a material or materials to be packaged.

An object of the invention is the provision of a container feeder of the type mentioned which can be mounted on a filling machine and which can be actuated in synchronization with the action of the filling machine to feed the containers from a stack thereof and deposit them at a receiving station of the machine.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a feeder that is positive in its operation, rugged in construction, and easy to install and to maintain in service.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such a feeder which is constantly connected to a source of power in synchronized relation to the filling machine, but which can be declutched therefrom while the machine is operating and again reclutched in the same synchronous relation with the filling machine.

These and still further objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description, including the accompanying drawing which illustrates an embodiment of the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of the invention attached to a filling machine, the latter being shown only fragmentarily.

FIG. 2 is a top plan sectional view along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the embodiment with adjacent parts of the filling machine partly in section.

FIG. 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along the line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along the line 8-8 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view along the line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

Referring with more particularity to the drawing in which like numerals designate like parts, the embodiment is illustrated in reference to a container filling machine 11 having a rotatably mounted horizontal loading wheel 12 which is provided with apertures 13 for receiving the containers to be filled. The filling machine alone, however, forms no part of the instant invention.

A stationary wall 14 of the filling machine adjacent the wheel 12 is provided with a dovetail mounting lug 15 opposite the space between a consecutive pair of the apertures 13 when the loading wheel 12 is in its stationary or resting phase between intermittent rotational movements. The location of the lug 15 is in advance of the filling station (not shown) of the filling machine or of the initial filling station, if there are more than one, such as where a plurality of materials are to be loaded into each container successively.

A rectangular member 16 comprises the base of the embodiment and it is provided with a mounting bracket 17 at the rear side having a dovetail slot 18 complementary to the lug 15. The bracket 17 is locked to the lug 15 by means of a bolt 17A.

The member 16 extends outwardly from the wall 14 over the loading wheel 12, and it is provided with a pair of vertical openings adapted to receive hollow cylindrical inserts 19, 20 which are vertically aligned with a pair of apertures 13, 13 when the loading wheel is in the resting phase of its cycle of operation. The inserts 19, 20 comprise passageways through which the containers pass from a pair of nested stacks of containers 21 and 22, respectively.

These containers are laterally supported in stacked position by means of a group of vertical guide rods 23 set about the inserts 19 and 20.

The walls of the inserts 19 and 20 are provided with groups of rubber cleats 24 and 25, respectively, which project inwardly an amount sufficient to support the stacks 21, 22, respectively, without blocking the passage of the cups through the openings 19, 20, one at a time, when the cups are forceably flexed against the cleats by a down ward force. This downward force is exerted by means of pairs of oscillating rubber fingers 26, 27 and 28, 29, one pair for each of the stacks, respectively.

The fingers 26 and 28 on one side are connected to a rocker shaft 30 and the fingers 27 and 29 on the opposite side are connected to a rocker shaft 31. These shafts are rotatably mounted in suitable bearings 32, 33, 34 and 35, 36, 37, respectively.

The shafts 30 and 31 are provided with gears 38 and 39, respectively, which are geared to each other through a pair of intermediate idler gears 40 and 41 mounted on shafts 42 and 43, respectively, and journaled in the block 16 on one side and in a side cover plate 44 on the opposite side. (See FIG. 5.)

These gears are driven by a rack 45 mounted for vertical reciprocation which meshes with a pinion 46 in meshed relation with gear 38.

The rack 45 is secured to a vertical shaft 47 which projects upwardly in an aperture 48 of the block.

The upper end 49 of the shaft 47 is of reduced diameter with a threaded end 50 for engaging a nut 51. Between this nut and the shoulder 52 resulting from the reduction in diameter of the upper end 49, there is secured a clutch block 53.

A countershaft 54 is slidably mounted parallel to the shaft 47 and extends upwardly through an aperture 55 in the clutch block 53. The countershaft 54 and clutch block 53 are releasably connected together for coaction by means of a pin slidably mounted in a cross channel 61 adjacent and at right angles to the aperture 55 and engageable with an aperture 62 in the shaft 54.

The pin 60 has an outer portion 63 of reduced diameter and it is biased to this engaging position by means of a coil spring 64 set between the shoulder 65 formed by the reduced end portion 63 and a shoulder 66 formed by a diameter reduction at the end of the channel 61.

A knob 67 is secured to the exposed end of the portion 63 and it is provided with an ofi'setting arm 68, the outer end of which is rabbeted to engage in one position a corner 69 of the block 53 (see FIG. 7). In another position the outer edge of the arm 68, when rotated, is clear of the block 53 (see FIG. 6) whereby the spring 64 moves the pin 60 to engage the aperture 62 of the countershaft 54.

The lower end of the countershaft extends below the block 16 and is secured to an arm 69 having a lug 70 extending horizontally toward a reciprocating shaft 71 of the filling machine 11. The shaft 71 has a recessed portion 72 at the lower end which is adapted to receive the lug 70 and hence connect the two shafts together for coaction.

The clutch block 53 and the upper ends of the shafts 47 and 54 are provided with a cover plate 73 which is removably held in place by a bolt 74.

In operation, the containers are placed in the device by stacking them within the guide rods 22, the stacks being, as explained above, supported by the detents comprising the rubber inserts 24 and 25. With the clutch in engaged position the rubber fingers oscillate, as shown in FIG. 9, thereby forcing the lowermost cups of the stacks downwardly past the detents and projecting them downwardly to the loading wheel 12 below. The action of the filling machine is such that when the shaft 71 of the filling machine moves downward, the loading wheel is in the resting phase of its cycle.

Having thus described the invention, we claim:

1. A feeding device for flexible open-end conical containers comprising a base member having a vertical aperture therein for the passage of the container, detents in the aperture for supporting a vertical stack of the containers in nested form, said detents being positioned to flex and thereby permit the passage of individual containers forced through the aperture, opposed fingers rotatably mounted below the detents, said fingers being positioned to coactively grip a cup in the aperture supported by the detents and force it through the aperture against the restraining action of the detents, a power transmission for rotating said fingers simultaneously in opposite directions, and a clutch mechanism for controlling the force transmitted to the fingers, said clutch mechanism comprising a reciprocating driving shaft and a reciprocating driven shaft, a block fixed to and carried by one of the shafts and means for releasably locking the other shaft to the block.

2. A feeding device as defined in claim 1 in which the means for releasably locking the shaft to the block comprises a locking pin slidably mounted on the block for movement between a locking position with the shaft and a retracted position thereof, said shaft having an aperture therein for receiving the pin in the locked position, yieldable means urging the pin to the locked position, and means for holding the pin in retracted position against the yieldable means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,286,165 Balton June 9, 1942 

